


Illyria Aquarium- The Children's Tour

by Broken_Clover



Series: Illyria Aquarium [1]
Category: Guilty Gear
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Aquariums, Fluff, Illyria Aquarium AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:21:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24314968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Clover/pseuds/Broken_Clover
Summary: Jack-O acts as a tour guide for a school field trip
Series: Illyria Aquarium [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1755355
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Illyria Aquarium- The Children's Tour

“And right over here, are two of our newest friends! Do you kids want to see Elphelt and Ramlethal, our lionfish?”

A menagerie of eager squeals acted as a reply. Smiling brightly, Jack-O lead the gaggle of shiny-eyed fifth graders over to the lionfish tank. She made a little sweeping gesture with her hands. “El and Ram were transferred to our facility almost three months ago. It’s the first time Illyria Aquarium has housed lionfish! Why don’t you kids take a look and see if they’re awake right now?”

Two-dozen pairs of eyes searched the corners of the tank. A landscape of rocks and foliage decorated the massive tank, in part to let the mer rest or hide from sight if they felt tired or shy. It also was good for occupying small children, who would peek around every corner in search of the tank’s inhabitants.

“There’s one!” A girl cried in glee. From behind a column of stone, a tuft of pink hair appeared. Elphelt swept her fins out into view, offering a cheery smile as she began swimming to the other side of the tank.

“That’s Elphelt! She likes people more than her sister, so you tend to see her more often. Isn’t she pretty?”

“Hello, Elphelt!” Several children called, waving at her. Though the tank was mostly soundproofed, Elphelt noticed the movement, and waved back, doing a little twirl in the water.

“You’re so pretty! She’s so pretty!”

“I love you, Elphelt!”

“Did you know? Lionfish can have anywhere between 13-18 venomous quills all over its body!” Jack-O started reciting the facts she’d memorized while the children ooh’d and ahh’d over Elphelt. “Mer are prone to having a few more than that. Elphelt has 20, and her sister Ramlethal has 22! The quills aren’t used for fighting, though. Instead, they’re to keep *them* from getting attacked. But there aren’t any predators to worry about here at the Aquarium, so their spines were clipped back to avoid injuring anyone.”

A little boy looked at her with concern. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

“Not for a mer! It’s sort of like trimming your nails. As long as you’re careful, it doesn’t hurt at all!”

The group continued to watch with intrigue. Jack-O watched as their focus began to dwindle, and she clapped her hands to get their attention.

“Alright, kiddos! Is everyone listening? It’s time for a special treat!”

That immediately got their attention. She took the opportunity to count heads and make sure nobody had gotten lost. “We’ve spent the last hour looking at the mer, how would you like to get up close and personal and help me feed them?”

The response was even stronger than before. Jack-O wasn’t surprised. It did tend to be the most popular part of the school tour. That’s why they put it right at the end.

The children followed her behind her in a loose line, chattering excitedly as she lead them out of the building and towards a net of stairs hugging the outside. Halfway up, she spotted Axl pushing a trolley of barrels, presumably fish food based on the way he scrunched his nose. Jack-O offered him a sympathetic look and wave, which he reciprocated. He didn’t like doing the tours as much as she did.

The top section of the Aquarium was entirely flat, with a pattern of thick metal grates scattered across the concrete. The sound of rippling water echoed off of the walls, alongside the gentle hum of heaters and vents.

“This is where me and the other staff members go to give the mer their lunch, and how we take them out when it’s time for checkups!” She held up a finger. “Wait here, please!”

Despite the warning, she still kept a close eye on them as she approached one of the supply trolleys that had been left on the floor. A bucket was found and filled with chunks of shrimp, which she brought back to the group, along with a box of rubber gloves.

“Some of you might have had shrimp before! Lots of mer like it, too! In fact, if you scoop up some in your hand and sit really still next to a tank, one might come up and take it right from you!”

Jack-O was familiar with the eager clamoring at the thought of it. Kids always loved the idea of being able to hand-feed a mermaid.

“Here, you all put on these gloves,” she tore the box open and handed it to the nearest student. “I’m going to unlatch the gate. Stand back, okay?”

She found Ky’s tank nearby, and knelt down to undo the metal latches. The steel creaked quietly as she pushed it out of the way. Though the water’s surface was blurred with ripples, the temp noticed the eel perk up immediately, drifting closer to the surface.

“There we are. Come on over!” On second thought, while the children gathered, she walked over the the next tank and slid it open, too. Knowing him, Venom probably wouldn’t have an interest in the attention- but perhaps it would be a good time to introduce his tankmate to the children’s visits.

“Wooah!” The group watched the vague, blurry shape of something circling below the surface. Jack-O knelt on one side of the group and placed the bucket next to her.

“I think Ky is coming up to say hello! Would you like to feed him?” She nudged the bucket towards the group.

“Yes please!!” A few kids crowded around the bucket, taking a handful of shrimp in their glove-clad hands. The bucket was pulled away after a few handfuls were gone.

“Don’t want to accidentally over-feed anyone! Maybe a few more people can try once the first group gets their turn.”

In between a few disappointed groans, she showed the kids with shrimp how to hold their hands flat near the water. “Now just wait patiently! I’m sure he’ll smell them and come up as long as you stay nice and still!”

Truthfully, she knew that Ky had already caught the scent and sight of her. He’d done enough tours to know what was going on, he was clever. It was still fun to teach, though, and Ky was always good at making the children feel accomplished.

“Oh, oh!” One cried. “Here he comes!”

Sure enough, a webbed hand emerged from the water, placing itself on the tank’s edge. Ky offered a polite smile as his head bobbed above the surface, damp blonde hair plastered to his skin.

Everyone held their breath as the eel sniffed the air, taking in the sight of the group. Slowly, he leaned towards one of the outstretched hands, and plucked a bit of shrimp from it with his own hand. Ky gave a little happy chirp, popping the snack into his mouth.

“Lookit those scales! They’re so pretty!”

“You’re doing great, kiddo!” Jack-O flashed a thumbs up. “Just keep doing that!”

Before Ky could take any more, a plume of water burst up next to him, making the children cry out in panic. He also flinched, but Jack-O immediately realized what had just happened.

“Well…I guess Sin smelled it, too!”

Sure enough, another blonde head had emerged, single eye twinkling with mischief. Rather than use his hands, he pushed his head into one of the children’s hands, eagerly chowing down.

“Haha! It tickles!”

“Keep your palms flat! He doesn’t bite, but he isn’t always the most careful, either.”

After making sure Ky had an eye on his son and there wouldn’t be any hand-losing, Jack-O turned back around and looked at the next tank over. The blue tang was still swimming cluelessly, looking a bit annoyed by the interruption but not really understanding what was going on.

“While they feed Sin and Ky, would any of you like to try and feed our newest transfer, Daryl?”

Some were content to watch the eels be fed, but others turned immediately and clambered for a chance to stick their hands out towards the shrimp bucket.

“Ah-ah-ah!” The bucket was pulled out of reach. “No shrimp. Tangs have a more coral and veggie-based diet.” She peeled off a glove and reached into her back pocket, pulling out a bag of seaweed chips. “I’ll give you each a couple, and just hold it out like you’re offering someone a stick of gum.”

Though a bit confused by the sudden change, the kids took it in stride, looking at the odd green fragments and holding them over the water’s surface.

“Daryl’s new to this, and he’s still a bit shy around people. So be patient! He might be slow.”

It took a good minute or two for Daryl to even notice the scent of seaweed. He seemed confused by it. Jack-O watched him look around for it, eventually realizing that it was above him. Even more puzzled, he started swimming up.

“There he is!”

The sound made him flinch back before he’d even reached the surface. Jack-O gently shushed her. “Try not to make too much noise. You’re spooking him.”

With a bit more waiting, Daryl hesitantly stuck his head out of the water. He caught sight of the treats being held out towards him, eyed them curiously, and reached out to take one.

He gave it a sniff, then a little nibble. After making a soft humming sound, he ate the rest.

“I guess Daryl’s a man of manners!” Jack-O spoke quietly. “But I think he likes it.”

Daryl reached out and took a few seaweed chips in his hand. Instead of eating them like he had before, he instead darted off, back towards the bottom of his tank with his snacks.

“Ah- a thief!” A child giggled gleefully. “Daryl’s a snack-thief!”

The temp couldn’t help but snicker. “I guess he is! Sorry, kids, I didn’t know he’d do that. Want to try feeding the eels instead? I’m sure Sin still has plenty of room for more shrimp.”

“Yes, please!”

++++++

Daryl sought out a quiet rock crevice, hidden out of sight, to settle down and look over his snacks. He was grateful for the treats, but those small humans were far too noisy and antsy for his liking. Even if the white-haired lady was nice. Maybe humans weren’t all bad, but they sure seemed to like making noise.

As he dug into the seaweed, the sand on the tank’s bottom shifted. A blue eye peered out, staring at the tang and his treats sitting on the rock. 

Venom didn’t know much about this strange fish that was in his tank. He’d been too scared to approach, preferring to stay buried and half-hidden as he usually was. Either the tang hadn’t noticed him, or he had no interest.

Either way, he deemed it safe to approach and view from afar. His flat ray fins stirred the sand and lifted him off the floor, slowly gliding towards a boulder to hide behind. The closer view allowed him to get a better view of his tankmate. As strange as it felt to think, the tang was very beautiful, especially with the smile he wore. Venom almost wanted to get closer.

As soon as the thought hit him, the tang caught sight of him. Venom felt his heart freeze and his body stiffen. Daryl held out a bit of seaweed to him, gesturing him to come closer. Did he want to talk? Was he going to attack him? What was he trying to do?

Unsure, and more than a little panicked, Venom dove back to the bottom of the tank, burying himself in the sand again. Yet for some reason, he couldn’t get the beautiful tang’s smile out of his thoughts.


End file.
